NATCHEZ — The textbook budget for Natchez-Adams School District schools was cut in half this year, but most principals said the loss is not as critical as it may have been in the past.

Even though textbook publishers update the books frequently, they can’t top the speed of Internet updates. And most textbooks aren’t aligned in the manner state tests require teachers to teach, principals said.

Robert Lewis Middle school Principal Sekufele Lewanika said out-of-date books are not a large burden because technology can supplement old textbooks.

Some classrooms at RLMS are equipped with Promethium Boards, which function like an interactive whiteboard that projects a screen shot of a computer.

Teachers are able to use the Internet to teach classes via Promethium Boards. Teachers can also print handouts from the Internet and digital library reserves in the classroom or make copies at the administrative building.

“(Textbooks) are a good tool to have but (a lack of new books) doesn’t stop you from getting where you need to get,” Lewanika said.

Lewanika said textbooks fail to follow the pacing guide teachers use to align instruction with the Mississippi framework.

No longer are the days when a class followed chapters in order until the last page, he said.

To accommodate the textbook budget cuts, Natchez High School Principal Cleveland Moore Jr. said the school purchased a classroom set of textbooks that are used only in the classroom, rather than allowing students to take a book home.

Moore, like Lewanika, said textbooks are not aligned with state benchmarks geared toward standard tests that schools must follow.

Teachers must go through textbooks and decide what sections to cover in addition to gathering alternate materials often found through the Internet or software.

Moore said the shift away from textbook-style instruction is partially due to the analytical nature of standardized tests.

Interactivity encourages a more complex level of thinking than strict textbook instruction, Moore said.

“You have to teach kids on a higher level. Tests are more analytical than they’ve ever been,” Moore said

Software and Web sites exist that cater specifically to Mississippi education guidelines, Moore said.

The high school also uses Promethium Boards in five classrooms.

Moore said the boards come equipped with software that has independent lessons students can complete. The software also comes with a set of strategies for teaching various objectives, Moore said.

Some Promethium Boards contain an interactive pen, so teachers can also use it traditionally, like a white board, or by interacting with the information on the screen.

Some classrooms also have student responders, or clickers, which allow students to participate in polls to let teachers gauge the students’ level of comprehension.

McLaurin Elementary Principal Alice Morrison said textbooks have become a resource for teachers rather than a guideline for teaching courses.

McLaurin has 19 Promethium Boards on order, which should be in the classroom by the end of the year.

Morrison said one drawback of the shift away from textbooks and toward technology is parent involvement.

Morrison said some parents are not as comfortable with technology assignments and don’t know how to help their child with homework without a book. Parents are generally more comfortable with textbooks, Morrison said.

However, Morrison said the new methods of interactive instruction through the use of technology cater more toward a more rigorous curriculum.

“A textbook is just a resource. (Classrooms) are Internet connected, so it has opened up a whole new world,” Morrison said.

Promethium Boards in the Natchez-Adams School District are primarily funded through federal Title 1 grant money or through an Enhancing Education Through Technology program for Title 2 Districts (E2T2).